


A Promise

by ChrysanthemumDeceit



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M, a fluffyish/nsfwish thing bc these two deserve it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 14:22:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18012551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrysanthemumDeceit/pseuds/ChrysanthemumDeceit
Summary: Chizuru brings his hand to her lips and speaks quietly, “Promise me, then.” She wants to reach up, pull him closer once more and plunge back into that feeling of the unknown.





	A Promise

The sound of steel slicing into flesh, the pained scream of Takeda, and Hachiro’s anguished face were constant, albeit unwelcome, visitors into Chizuru’s dreams. Despite the lack of bloodshed in her life now, some part of her clung to those days, as they were some of the last, she had with the members of the Shinsengumi.

The war had been over for several weeks by this point and Hachiro and herself were making the slow journey down Japan to reach Sen’s hometown, Yase Village. Tonight, they were holed up in an inn northeast of Lake Biwa, Nagahama, she thought she read on their way into town. Although it had been nighttime and the lamps on the street only gave off little illumination, so who was she to know?

As the dreams kept her lolling in and out of slumber, she decided that stirring from her tumultuous sleep ought to be her best decision of the moment. To clear her mind of the past and relish in the present.

“You can sleep now, Chizuru. I can watch over you tonight.” Hachiro’s voice cooed from beside her, his arm had been lazily draped atop her side, pulling her closer once he realized she’d awoken.

How fragile an affair such as theirs came to realization would forever confound her, it was gray matter in a world of supposed black and white. If fate were to have spurned a different tale, in a different set of circumstances she wondered how their lives may differ from this. But ‘what if’s’ and ‘had I done’s’ were left in a hollow den in the crevasses of her mind. Although demons were never creatures who abided by the laws of human nature.

As he speaks, she lowers her head to rest upon his chest, her ear pressing against it– listening to his heartbeat. Stories from her childhood told her of heroes triumphant and those that hadn’t quite made it in the face of some dastardly foe. She could hope of a fairytale life, of happiness and longevity but things seen and done have taught her otherwise. This world was cold, made warm by those who cared for not only themselves but for a select few others as well.

Her teeth bite at the insides of her cheeks. For the longest time her life had traveled at a snail’s pace, overtly boring and lonely, a child cast away in the waters of a choppy sea, taken in only by a fake of a father. But now that she has found a source of buoyancy in that dark ocean and it seemed as if others come to try and take it away as quickly as it had arrived. She can only take his words as requisitely as possible, grasping onto their truth.

“I’m not going to leave, I’m never going to do that again.” She could tell that he could sense her worry, it was a gentle gesture meant to soothe her.

A breathy sort of laugh escapes her lips at his words, it wasn’t as if he’d uttered a joke or some witticism, so she wasn’t even sure why she’d done it in the first place. It was possibly due to her relief that he wouldn’t leave her alone but so much in the future. Her free hand moves to brush a few strands of hair out of her face to be only tucked behind her ear seconds later. 

 Silence permeates the air once more as she pulls away from his chest and drinks in his appearance, somewhat marveling at how a creature such as he managed to ensnare her in this way. 

Chizuru’s revelry is short lived, as that dreaded sensation seeps back into her bloodstream, _what if they were found out_? _What if someone is watching, waiting for them outside_? Being together with him should eliminate those thoughts, but she had been trained to worry and fear for those she called dear during her time at the Shinsengumi. His touch, no doubt, alleviates some of the concern, but the remnants lay etched into her face.

She wants him to promise her that he’d keep those words, that, despite the inevitable dangers that this newfound relationship may bring, he wouldn’t fall flat. It’s not that she didn’t believe him, by the gods she wanted to.

She brings his hand to her lips and speaks quietly, “Promise me, then.” She wants to reach up, pull him closer once more and plunge back into that feeling of the unknown. Yet she finds herself stopping the thought from coming to fruition, her eyes shut once more as she listens to the sound of the pair just living. Heartbeat, breaths, the tiniest movements of fabric, everything. There was just something so comforting to her about sharing a bed with him. Perhaps, in literal terms, it meant she wasn’t truly alone.

Without an answer, he places his thumb on her chin and pulls her in for a brief, albeit tender kiss.

The corners of her mouth twitch as he pulls away, and for a brief, fleeting moment she looks and feels relatively at ease. It felt as if the eggshells she had painstakingly sought out not to break had cracked, and her falling through that jagged layer meant nothing.

Hachiro takes one of her hands to rest on his warm chest, right where his heart lies under flesh and sinew. If she can’t believe his words, that will do and can’t be faked. “Of course, I promise,” his mouth finally finds her neck, brushing his lips against the velvety surface and placing small kisses with every inch he moves, repeating his vow between each peck. She must understand, she must learn that she’s more than just a pawn to be used by those who see her as insignificant. 

Something likened to euphoria runs hot through her veins, shooting through her from head to toe. She would hold those words close, locked away near all the things that made her life a little less hellish. For words could stand the test of time when all other things wither and fade away, they sound bittersweet to her ears.

His kisses travel downwards, cascading to the edges of her kimono, to which he glances up at Chizuru to gain approval for his next actions. Her eyes lock with his and she vocalizes her acceptance with a short, “Keep going.” Seconds later she finds her kimono has been loosened quite significantly, her obi being the only piece keeping it all together. Her hands move to his shoulders, repeating the process done unto her until his own obi goes and soon after, the fabric of his clothing slides down his bare shoulders, as if the barriers between them dissolved into thin air.

His body has a mind of its own, and if anyone ever told him that desire would force him to naturally act on consequence, sharing a bed with another human being, he wouldn’t believe them. But it’s here, it’s tangible and real and he won’t fight it. Not tonight and he suspects, that with her, not ever.

Because it’s not a mere act of plain need of the flesh, void of barriers, or his hand wandering to warm, forbidden places no one has ever traveled before. It’s a dialogue without words, kisses, touches, gentleness that elicits the sweetest sounds from her because that’s all that matters right now: her.

In the dim light, they find each other.

Together.

* * *

 

The slow breaths she takes move her chest in rhythmic rises and falls, her eyes may be closed but she is not asleep, not yet. Two heartbeats fill her ears as the air lays stagnant around the pair, they’re steady,  _alive_. A strand of hair lays across her face, tickling her nose as she inhales, but she makes no effort to move it, she is too at peace to move from his side. Her eyes open briefly to snapshot the picture of him lying next to her, as if she needed more confirmation of their togetherness. She traces the outline of his face with her eyes, noting every little incline and slope, wondering- still - how she’d come to this point. 

“What do you think will happen tomorrow, Hachiro?” Chizuru breaks the silence with a whisper, not trying to disturb him if he’s already dormant.

A few more languid breaths from him before he stirs, pulling her closer and placing his lips atop her head. “I suspect Sen will want to know what happened, if we’re both happy too, I guess.”

Chizuru’s lips curl into a soft smile, “I suspect you’re right.” She ponders for a moment, “You are happy, aren’t you?”

She could feel him chuckle, his warm breath cascading down her scalp, “Is that even a question?” 


End file.
